Jordan Climbing Federation Hosts 2nd Annual Pan-Arab Climbing Competition

More than 70 climbers competed in Amman, Jordan in March 2022

By Rob Kyte | September 22, 2022

In 2022, it is common to read and hear in climbing press that the sport is in a stage of ‘unprecedented’ or ‘exponential’ growth. Crags are being developed worldwide; more and more people are showing up in gyms and/or at local crags; and, most notably, climbing is now recognized as an Olympic sport. And it’s true: climbing has seen tremendous growth in terms of both coverage and participation in the last decade, even in the short span since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when outdoor spaces experienced a sudden mass influx of those eager to get out of the house in a responsible way.

From a community and stewardship perspective, a growing number of climbers gaining both access to and appreciation for the sport and the places where it happens is a good thing. But here’s the hard truth: while climbing is indeed growing worldwide, much of that growth — in terms of crag and gym development, coaching opportunities, funding, sponsorship and support for athletes, as well as coverage via climbing magazines and social media — is focused in places where climbing was already recognized and supported. ‘Growth,’ in the scope of access to expertise, infrastructure, and resources, has thus far translated almost exclusively to places that were already growing simply continuing to do so at a notably higher rate. This persistent misrepresentation of growth is precisely why it is important that conversations about growth in climbing worldwide are inclusive towards a global climbing community that is truly global, instead of one restricted to places we are already used to hearing about.

Climbing has a long history in the Middle East, particularly in such places as Wadi Rum, a Mars-like desert expanse in Jordan home to massive sandstone towers. Bedouin locals have been scaling these walls, largely unprotected, for countless generations. Organized, competition-level climbing in the Middle East, however, remains in a nascent but nonetheless evolutionary phase, exhibiting massive potential as a space that, with the continued efforts of local athletes and organizers as well as greater support and recognition from governing bodies like the IFSC, is undoubtedly capable of producing world-class athletes.

On March 25th, 2022, climbers from across the region gathered in Amman, Jordan to take part in the second annual Jordan Climbing Federation (JCF) open pan-Arab climbing competition at Climbat Amman. This year, 51 adults and 21 children from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt participated in the competition. The results of the competition were as follows:

A new regional climbing competition is a momentous occasion in the growth of the global climbing community. The Climbing Initiative connected with Marwan Maayta (Routesetter and Judge), Abdelqader Al Dabbas (Competition Organizer / First Place Finisher), Dr. Ghassan Alami (JCF founding member and Fundraising Manager), and Sharaf Kilani (JCF President and Climbat Amman founder) to talk about both the competition as well as expansion of the Middle Eastern climbing scene.

TCI: What are some of the challenges you and your team faced organizing a regional climbing competition? 

Marwan Maayta: The sport is still young in the Middle East. Usually, in Jordan, in my experience, when the topic of climbing is opened with common folk, they remember seeing Alex Honnold on National Geographic, and they think it’s a dangerous sport. Other people still confuse abseiling in canyons with actual climbing.

The younger generation knows more, perhaps because of social media. And an even smaller segment of that understands that there are other dimensions to it like sport climbing, indoor climbing, or bouldering. Many of them are interested, and generally they seem to be really excited and open to trying new activities. But there are not many facilities to meet that enthusiasm, and there are not many instructors teaching it.

In addition to that, climbing equipment and climbing holds are quite expensive to acquire, as there is no local production. And the customs in Jordan charge a lot for imported equipment. This is all very different in other countries where modern climbing has been present for many years, such as the U.S., Europe, or Japan. And naturally, there’s already a larger group of people and companies involved.

TCI: How has climbing grown in Jordan and throughout the Middle East in recent years? 

Marwan Maayta: In Jordan, climbing with modern equipment started in Wadi Rum in the mid 80s, so it has been present for many years, but it was mainly international climbers. There were only a few local climbers from Rum village who started climbing with modern equipment. The Bedouins actually climbed without safety equipment on some really challenging terrain for a long period of time before that. [In] Amman … sport climbing has been present only since the beginning of the 2000s, where a few local climbers have been teaching the sport by organizing outdoor climbing trips. They joined efforts with visiting climbers and bolted a number of limestone cliffs in northern Jordan. The growth was pretty slow back then, up until the opening of the climbing gym, Climbat Amman, which has been a hub for expat and local climbers for more than 10 years [as a place] where people met, exchanged expertise, and organized outdoor climbing trips together.

About a year ago, a new bouldering wall, Badiya, opened its doors to further introduce the sport of bouldering. This is an exciting step for the climbing community, as this place is in the heart of Amman!

Maayta also mentioned the growth of climbing communities in Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, where climbing has existed for years, but is seeing a recent period of rapid growth due largely to the proliferation of gyms and the work of local climbing associations such as Saudi Climbing and Hiking Federation and the Palestine Climbing Association.

TCI: When did the idea to create a pan-Arab climbing competition start, and how did you make it a reality?

Marwan Maayta: The idea … was to connect the climbing communities of Arab countries, and to share expertise, rather than competing. We knew the sport was growing quickly in many countries around us, so we thought that it would be great to get all those people to connect.

TCI: What were some of the challenges of creating a new climbing competition?

Abdelqader Dabbas: In 2021, the first [JCF} competition took place, and due to the limitations of COVID, we made the announcement a bit late. Nevertheless, two climbers from Palestine and one from Lebanon came to compete. With the success of the first competition, we were excited to go bigger.

We've learned many lessons from the first competition that helped prepare for the second. However, given that the second included many more competitors and international climbers from the Arab world, we faced new planning and logistical challenges in preparation for this event. We’ve [also] had huge support from the local community … around 35 volunteers during the event. Without them it would [have been] impossible.

Due to the low number of youth participants (ages 12-16), we included them with the adults. Abdalrahman Alami (age 14) surprised us all and got the 5th rank among 39 male climbers.

TCI: How did you find your videographers and commentators, and what did you learn through that experience?

Abdelqader Dabbas: Photographers for climbers is not an easy role to [fill]. Luckily, Ali Barqawi, a professional photographer and member of the local climbing community, came to the rescue and took some amazing shots of the athletes.

Marwan Maayta: It is difficult to capture climbing movements, and especially to make it look interesting for people who don’t climb, yet they managed it very well. And more importantly, they captured the spirit of the climbing event: the happy and sad moments of the competitors, and the diversity and enthusiasm of the audience and the climbing community in Jordan. And the commentators did a fantastic job! We are very happy that Farah AbuBaker has been with us this year again, as she also was one of the commentators on last year’s event. She had an excellent explanation of climbing techniques.

TCI: How was the process of finding companies to sponsor the competition? Do you have any strategies to share regarding how you helped non-climbers understand and value a climbing competition?

Dr. Ghassan Alami (founding member of JCF and Fundraising Manager): We [targeted] friends of ours who are either amateur climbers themselves or value the numerous benefits of our sport. Many of them gave generously, either as individuals or via the companies they work [for]. The economic effects of the pandemic and related lockdowns, as well as the embryonic stage [of] the Jordanian climbing scene, did not allow us the luxury of giving cash prizes to our winners, but that did not seem to dampen our competitors' enthusiasm.

TCI: What are your plans with the competition for the future?

Marwan Maayta: We hope to make this event a yearly event: a big regional competition. We also want to hold competitions for different age categories at the regional level and at the national level.

Sharaf Kilani: The competition … was a great success. It went beyond our expectations. I believe in that moment we created history. Eight Arab nations were involved, and the idea of an Arab regional committee was created due to the enthusiasm of the athletes, the organizers, the established regional federations, the spectators, and the growing climbing communities in the areas. We pursued this vision, and we are now actively conducting meetings with the established federations. Not long ago, each federation was working [independently], but now [they are] getting together and working as a team. Today we are focusing on organizing a yearly calendar for all the regional federations to work in sync and plan future competitions, workshops, etc.

With Maayta’s help, TCI was able to ask the competitors about their experience at the competition, what it means to represent their country and compete alongside other climbers from across the Middle East, and their vision for the growth of climbing in the region.

TCI: What are the benefits of having a competition for the whole Middle East like this?

Zeina Fakhriddin (Jordan) (3rd Place in Women’s): It’s incredibly important to have people from across the region compete together. It showcases talent from across the region, it improves the abilities of climbers who are already on the competition scene, welcomes higher demand for coaches/routesetters/gyms, and introduces the sport to others across the Middle East, all of which will feed into growing the sport and making it more popular and competitive.

It’s also interesting to note that there was a considerable increase in the difficulty of the routes for this competition. Given that the previous competition was fewer than 8 months prior, the level of the climbers improved dramatically in such a short period of time, which is extremely impressive given the resources available. Holding more competitions, opening more venues and giving climbers access to a wider variety of holds, styles, facilities will certainly push the talent further!

AbdulRahman Abughazala (Saudi Arabia): Competitions push athletes to explore the highest peaks of their abilities … I think it’s our job to inspire the next generation of climbers and focus our efforts on harnessing their potential. What I witnessed from the kids climbing at the competition was nothing short of amazing. Some were only 12 years old, some were only 16 competing in the adult category and already crushing the routes and making finals. I can’t even begin to imagine what they will be capable of with the right mentorship and resources invested in them … I was honored to see the future of climbing in the Middle East.

Osama Mekawy (Egypt): This competition can be a unifying event like no other. A huge benefit is that climbers from different countries can meet up every year, connect, see how they can help one another in developing the climbing scene in their own country, share experiences they had, training routines they are working on now … a lot of benefits can come organically.

Haneen Al Ashram (Jordan) (2nd place in Women’s category): It motivates people to commit to the sport, motivates younger generations to get into it, and informs the public about the existence of climbing, which in turn can lead to more exploration of their country and what it has to offer. The main benefit in my opinion remains the ability to connect with many people who share the love of the sport, and to create a regional community of climbers.

Tawfiq Najada (Palestine):

إحدى فوائد المسابقة هي أنني تعرّفت على الكثير من المتسلّقين من مختلف البلدان في الوطن العربي و اكتسبت خبرات من معظم المتسلّقين

[translated]: One of the benefits of the competition is that I have met many climbers from different countries in the Arab world, and I have gained experience from most of the climbers.

TCI: What did it mean to you to represent your home country in this competition?

Nasser Abu Erjaib (Kuwait) (2nd place in Men’s): Representing my country means a lot and gives me a sense of pride. It’s a very different feeling when you have a flag to represent and a nation that is behind you, and supporting you as you represent something bigger than oneself. Going out there and showing what you can do for your country is a dream for everyone.

Urwah Askar (Palestine):

بصراحة، كان الشعور حلواً جداً، و كنت سعيداً جداً، أكثر ممّا تتخيّل، أنّني استطعت أن أشارك في مسابقة تسلّق خارج فلسطين، و بما أنّها كانت أوّل مسابقة لي

[translated]: Honestly, the feeling was so wonderful, and I was very happy, more than you can imagine, that I was able to participate in a climbing competition outside of Palestine, since it was my first competition.**

**Urwah speaks here about his experience competing in the 2021 competition. An injury prevented him from competing in 2022.

Arwa Alsantli (Saudi Arabia): It was a tremendous privilege to represent Saudi Arabia. My country is witnessing a massive uptake in sport infrastructure development and it is truly an honor to be able to share that with the world.

Osama Mekawy (Egypt): Of course it means a lot to represent your country, there is a sense of pride … when you put on a shirt with the flag on it. But the flag does not divide. One of the things I liked about climbing when I started was the community itself, the climber persona that's very unique. In growing communities, it can be different sometimes, but I loved that I saw those climber's ethos very [clearly] on the day of the competition, and that was one of the biggest things that made me happy.

Haneen Al Ashram: It felt nice to be representing my country and actually winning. I felt like I wanted to show people that Jordanians do climb, even if we’re a very small community and don’t have a lot of presence internationally.

TCI: What was it like to meet climbers from other Middle Eastern countries?

AbdulRahman Abughazala: Our main goal was to get to meet all the climbers we’ve known for so long through social media. Our Middle Eastern community is so supportive of each other even though we don't get to climb together often. Seeing the different climbers’ capabilities, but also their potential, was quite eye-opening … With how young our communities are, I have no doubt in my mind we will start to see more Middle Eastern athletes compete in IFSC events.

TCI: What do you hope for the future of climbing competitions in the Middle East?

AbdulRahman Abughazala: Competitions in the Middle East are practically non-existent in comparison to other regions. The Saudi Federation has been working hard to get it going with national competitions, and the Jordan Federation was the first to do a regional competition … What would be incredible is if the regional competitions [could be] held once or twice a year, in a different country each time, with all the federations supporting the event. This would give the current athletes something to aim for and the younger athletes [opportunity] to gain more experience.

Urwah Askar:

كان هذا أحد أحلامي عندما بدأت التسلّق: أن أستطيع المشاركة في مسابقات التسلّق في الشرق الأوسط، و أن أستطيع أن أُمثّل فلسطين في كلّ مكان في العالم، وليس فقط في الشرق الأوسط، و أن أُثبت للعالم أنّ هناك دولة تسمّى فلسطين، وأن فيها متسلّقون أقوياء يستطيعون المنافسة ببطولات عالمية

[translated] This had been one of my dreams since I started climbing: to be able to participate in climbing competitions in the Middle East, and to be able to represent Palestine in every place in the world, not only in the Middle East … to prove to the world that there is a country called Palestine, and that it has strong climbers who can compete in international competitions.

Below is a complete list of the 2022 competitors: